Zion Free Climbing in Alpinist 21
Alpinist has churned out yet another fantastic issue, number 21. Included in the issue, is an outstanding article by Mike Anderson about the recent Zion free climbing renaissance. Anderson has been the man largely responsible for the latest free climbing movement in the park and he shares tales of what went into some of his FFAs, such as the Lowe Route on Angels Landing and Spaceshot.
Zion tends to be a true “choss monkey” area when you venture into the non-trade route realm of Zion you will find plenty of good, old-fashioned, sand-in-your-eye desert climbing. That’s not to say there aren’t some great routes to be had. Zion’s trade free routes, such as Moonlight Buttress, Monkeyfinger and Shune’s Buttress, tend to get all of the press and the attention of climbers, but there’s a lifetime of adventurous, non-trade free routes in Zion as well. Voice From the Dust, Bits and Pieces, Plan B, Sunlight Buttress, and Made To Be Broken are just a handful of the many stellar, less-traveled free routes in Zion. With a sense of adventure and a little legwork in searching out beta at the local climbing shop or at the Visitor Center, you can find out about the myriad opportunities for free climbing in Zion. It’s time well spent and it’s a welcome break from the beta-drenched experiences that we typically have as climbers.
